Diet Tips From Four Top Weight Loss Plans - Vegan diet sound too extreme? Radak March 2006
Mar 2006 130 pages Vol. 3, No. 2 ISSN 0884-7355
Published by Rodale, Inc.
WEIGHT LOSS PLANS: TIPS FROM FOUR DIETS
Diet Tips From Four Top Weight Loss Plans - Women's Health Magazine
Vegan diet sound too extreme? We got the best tips from four plans that are easy to incorporate into your lifestyle
Published: March 2, 2006 | By Julie Meyer, R.D. Diet Tips From Four Top Weight Loss Plans Vegan diet sound too extreme? We got the best tips from four plans that are easy to incorporate into your lifestyle
It's tempting to think that if only you were better, more disciplined, and more organized, you could rid your diet of all those nasty animal fats and processed foods. You could eat only organic vegetables and soy-based baked goods. You could finally achieve the same inner peace, shiny hair, and glowing children that macrobiotic dieters like Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna seem to enjoy. Then again, if you don't have the time, money, or inclination to eat nothing but vegetables and carob-chip cookies, don't despair. We've examined four of the biggest lifestyle diet trends and found how you can benefit from the best nutritional advice from these weight loss plans — without having to grow your own produce or give up your morning bagel. See the WH's Eat Better page and "Veggie Madness," where your favorite produce battles to see who's best.
Raw Food
The Claim Raw foodists believe that food contains life force and revitalizing properties, and that cooking food above 115 degrees kills the active enzymes responsible for this force. A raw diet consists mostly of fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, sprouts, sprouted grains, legumes (in sprout form), sea vegetables, and fresh juices. Forget about meat: Dead animals are so not life-affirming. The payoff for all this roughage? A renewed life force of your own. "Sometimes I have so much energy, it scares me," says Sarma Melngailis, co-owner of Pure Food and Wine, a raw food restaurant in New York City, and founder of oneluckyduck.com, an online marketplace for all things raw and organic.
The Reality A recent study in the Journal of Nutrition found that strict raw foodists had lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels than their more lenient counterparts. (But the cutting out of animal fats and processed foods probably has more to do with that than the degree to which they cook their edamame.) "There is not really any scientific mechanism that makes eating raw food better than eating cooked food," says Luigi Fontana, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of internal medicine at Washington University in St. Louis. The diet lacks concentrated protein sources, and strict followers "can have deficiency in vitamin B12, zinc, calcium, and vitamin D," he says. That could lead to anemia, a weakened immune system, and osteoporosis. Plus, some foods are better for you cooked: Tomatoes, for example, offer more heart-healthy lycopene when heated. Real-Life Strategy Do more with less. Raw food lovers know how to be creative in the kitchen, and adopting some of their tricks can help you boost your vegetable intake — even if you like your food warm. Try this pasta impostor:
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Zucchini Pasta with Macadamia, Mint, and Tomato
2 large zucchinis, ends trimmed 1/2 c cold-pressed macadamia oil 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice Himalayan crystal salt, or sea salt, to taste 1 medium tomato, seeded and diced 1 handful mint, torn into small pieces 1/2 c macadamia nuts, chopped
Julienne the zucchini and place the strips in a medium bowl. Toss with most of the oil, the lime juice, and a generous pinch of salt. Add the tomato and mint and toss well. Toss the nuts in a small bowl with the remaining oil and a pinch of salt, and sprinkle over the zucchini. Serves four.
Raw foodists also rely on vegetable and nut oils to add kick to otherwise bland sprouts and vegetables. We like avocado and macadamia oils, which have the same heart-healthy fats as olive oil and can be used for cooking or salad dressings.
The Claim Taking vegetarianism to the next level, the vegan diet prohibits all animal products, including dairy. Milk chocolate is out. So is cake made with eggs and milk on your Cheerios. Produce and high-fiber grains are key to this diet. "Study after study shows the benefit of increased fiber, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in preventing chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes," says Tim Radak, Ph.D., R.D., associate director of nutrition for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a pro-vegan nonprofit group. "And if you add all those elements together, you get the vegan diet." The diet can also be high in soy, which, thanks to its multiple forms (milk, tofu, tempeh) and high-protein content, can make a handy substitute for dairy and meat products.
The Reality The popularity of supermarkets like Whole Foods makes it easier than ever to eat well as a vegan. But you can lose out on important nutrients if you're not careful. "If you don't do the vegan diet right, you can miss out on protein, as well as iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, and omega fatty acids," Blatner says.
Real-Life Strategy Tofu for you! Okay, you may not be ready to submit to the culinary concoction that is Tofurkey. But occasionally swapping out basic animal products like milk and hamburgers for soy-based vegan alternatives, such as veggie burgers or soy milk, can do your body good. A recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that women who consumed the most soy had fewer bone fractures as they aged.
Slow Food
The Claim As sworn enemies of fast food, slow foodists believe that drive-throughs are the devil's work. They say food is best enjoyed — and best for you — when the ingredients are fresh and local, the atmosphere is relaxed, and the television is off. "We also support food that is good to the environment and provides fair wages to the people that produce it," says Sara Firebaugh, assistant director of Slow Food USA. In practice that means buying pesticide-free produce, supporting initiatives that help local farmers, and hosting tasting seminars that teach people how to get the most flavor from each meal. Eating out is fine, but devotees are encouraged to eat at small family-owned restaurants that are more likely to use local or organic ingredients, rather than reheating frozen entrees sent from a corporate office.
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The Reality This is one food fad we can get behind. "Eating more slowly and striving for fresh ingredients is always recommended," says Dawn Jackson Blatner, R.D., a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. While it may not be realistic to slave over an organic home-cooked meal every night, aiming for healthy family dinners at least twice a week is a great goal — especially since a recent study in Obesity Research found that mothers who prioritize eating together are less likely to have overweight children.
Real-Life Strategy Ramp up flavors. By making food more flavorful, slow foodists feel more satisfied with smaller portions. Use cast iron to enhance the flavor of your meats. Cast iron retains and disperses heat more efficiently, slowly cooking the meat for a fuller flavor and adding additional iron to your diet. And Blatner likes the slow food practice of eating several small portions of highly flavored foods at a meal instead of one large course. "It's more satisfaction with less volume — a great way to reduce your total intake," she says.
Macrobiotic Food
The Claim Entire books are devoted to this diet, so here's a very basic, abbreviated version. Adherents believe that all meals should contain seven components for health and vitality (carbohydrates, proteins, fats/oils, minerals, vitamins, enzymes, and water) and that five main elements are responsible for total health (salty food boosts the kidney, bladder, and reproductive organs; sharp-tasting food helps the lungs and large intestine; sweet food helps the stomach, spleen, and pancreas; bitter food helps the heart and small intestine; and sour food helps the liver and gallbladder). They also believe that different foods should be combined to achieve a balance of different tastes and textures (the "yin and yang" theory of food). For example, a meal of rice with seaweed (salty), fish with ginger (sharp), winter squash (sweet), kale (bitter), and sauerkraut (sour) would do the trick. Eating local foods also helps you achieve this yin-yang balance. For instance, fruits and nuts grown in tropical areas, assigned a cooling ?yang" property, balance the heat, which is assigned as "yin."
The Reality There is evidence that the components of macrobiotic diets can contribute to a lower risk of chronic diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, says Elisa Bandera, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of epidemiology at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey. But this may have more to do with the fact that macrobiotic diets are heavy on whole grains and vegetables and less with their yin-yang balance.
Real-Life Strategy Support your local farmer. We're all for whole grains and a balanced diet, but the yin and yang of foods sounds slightly?far-fetched. Nevertheless, there is value in eating foods grown locally. "Without oxidation that occurs during transportation, fresh produce from local [growers] retains more nutrients, especially water-soluble vitamins, such as B and C, than their counterparts at the grocery store, which may have traveled hundreds of miles or been stored for several months," Blatner says.
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